7 of 10 WTC rescuers suffer lung problems

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Nearly seven out of every 10 World Trade Center responders suffered lung problems during or after their work at ground zero, and high rates of lung “abnormalities” continued years after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a new health study issued by Mount Sinai Medical Center.

The study focused mostly on the so-called “World Trade Center cough,” which has become the chief concern of health experts.

In lung function tests, responders had abnormalities at a rate double that expected in the general population; these abnormalities persisted for months and in some cases years after the exposure, the study found.

Other findings highlighted by the study include:

Almost 70 percent of World Trade Center responders had new or worsened lung symptoms during or after the attacks.

Among responders who had no health symptoms before the attacks, 61 percent developed lung symptoms while working on the pile.

One-third had abnormal lung function tests.

The findings are based on medical exams conducted between July 2002 and April 2004 on 9,500 ground zero workers.

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